Another question, as an aside, with the DPL8, will two Bump controllers be needed (one connected to each side since 2 FUIMs are required) or will one controller be able to communicate with both sides?

If two are necessary, how far apart will they have to be spaced so that while "bumping" battery 1 for the left charger, it does not program the right side charger? E.g. I am parallel charging 4 x 4S packs on the left charger and 3X 6s packs on the right. If I swipe the 4S pack on the left side is there a possibility that the right side controller may pick it up?

The BUMP controller can control up to four PowerLab chargers. The DPL8 is treated as two separate chargers.

Depending how many chargers you have connected the Bump controller will display tabs (1-4) across the top of the screen or side depending on the screen preference chosen. Clicking on the tab will bring up that chargers data and control. Note the 1-4 designation matches the expansion channel # you have that charger set to.

Images

When we tested it at IRCHA, we did use a servo Y cable and it did NOT function with the Bump controller in place plugged into the Y with the FCIM also plugged into the other leg of the Y. This was WITHOUT plugging a PC in and running the CCS software. Removing the Y and plugging in the Bump Controller and it resumed working as expected. Testing the FCIM thru the Y harness and running the CCS as an additional test did show it to work but again NOT with the Bump controller in place.

So my concern is still communication with the charger for firmware updates without having to perform a cable dance.

I am sorry I cannot recall the individual's name at IRCHA that I tested this with but originally spoke to one gentleman and when I returned he was occupied so a second gentleman working the booth and I tested this as well as several other items (such as ability for the bump controller to read thru Lexan and at what distance it could still see the ID

IIRC, the output of the FUIM(3) is a UART, so I wouldn't expect you to be able to "parallel" 2 UARTs together with a "Y" cable.

Having to swap cables is not a big deal, it would just be a bit cumbersome for a PL charger that is mounted in a charging case.

In any event, it is definitely an exciting product and I will likely buy 2 for my 2 charging cases.

Is the bump restricted to just Powerlab series chargers?
Can it be connected to other Revo chargers like a 10XP or Multi4?
In other words, can any charger that accepts a FUIM3 be connected to a BUMP?

I would be nice to have a BUMP control multiple chargers.
In my case, one of my portable charging cases has a Multi4, 10XP and PowerLab6 with MPA ... a single BUMP to control setup and charging would be a nice addition.

Is the bump restricted to just Powerlab series chargers?
Can it be connected to other Revo chargers like a 10XP or Multi4?
In other words, can any charger that accepts a FUIM3 be connected to a BUMP?

I would be nice to have a BUMP control multiple chargers.
In my case, one of my portable charging cases has a Multi4, 10XP and PowerLab6 with MPA ... a single BUMP to control setup and charging would be a nice addition.

Depending how many chargers you have connected the Bump controller will display tabs (1-4) across the top of the screen or side depending on the screen preference chosen. Clicking on the tab will bring up that chargers data and control. Note the 1-4 designation matches the expansion channel # you have that charger set to.

...
Having to swap cables is not a big deal, it would just be a bit cumbersome for a PL charger that is mounted in a charging case.
.

Ah but there is the rub, my case does not make that an easy swap as everything is neatly in place. The USB connection to the FUIM is integrated into the top Lexan of the display portion and I already have pedestals drawn up in CAD to mount the Bump. It will require a fair bit of time to swap back and forth the connections as it stands currently, something I am not willing to do at this time. For me, yes I am definitely excited (spent a lot of time at IRCHA looking over it and preparing, but for me I will wait until they solve the issue I see

Strongly Advise Against This

I fried a DPL8, twice, doing something quite similar. Fortunately, FMA repaired under warranty, but I was required to remove the feature.

My situation was a case with a PS and DPL8 mounted on top of the PS, with servo extensions mounted to each half of the DPL8 and a toggle switch to couple the signal leads to allow separate / synchronized operation; the servo leads were brought to the outside of the case. The FUIM3 could then be plugged into the externally mounted ports, or left unconnected.

Apparently, as it was explained to me, the signal leads are connected directly to the microprocessor that controls the charger operation. It is possible for static electricity to fry the processor board.

In my case, I did NOT also connect the FUIM3 adapters to the ports, along with the toggle switch; i.e., the ports were left open so that might have contributed to the problem.

To say that I am reluctant to have an unterminated connection brought out for convenience would be an understatement. I can see a slight electrical disturbance when the switch changes state.

If Revolectrix approves the switch and FUIM3 approach, then I would reconsider.

I agree that it would be a royal PITA to open the covers to get access to the port for USB updates...

As a point of interest, I am a retired Electrical Engineer, so not a neophyte when it comes to wiring, circuits, etc.; long conversations with Howard, and he was most helpful identifying the problem, collaborating with the designer, but strongly recommended no dangling connections.

Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ohmic

You could always wire in a triple pole double throw switch that would completely isolate the BUMP from the FUIM3 so either could be connected to the charger through the switch. Some folks did something similar early on with two PL8's to switch between expansion channel mode and using the FUIM3 to update the firmware on each charger.

Is the bump restricted to just Powerlab series chargers?
Can it be connected to other Revo chargers like a 10XP or Multi4?
In other words, can any charger that accepts a FUIM3 be connected to a BUMP?

I would be nice to have a BUMP control multiple chargers.
In my case, one of my portable charging cases has a Multi4, 10XP and PowerLab6 with MPA ... a single BUMP to control setup and charging would be a nice addition.

Unfortunately it will only work with the PowerLab series chargers (PL6, PL8, DPL8) because those are the only ones that support the Expansion Channel Mode (ECM) signaling protocol that the BUMP Controller uses to control them. Note that the new GT500 charger will also *NOT* be supported.

Agreed, leaving the 3-wire i/f dangling is not recommended, but leaving the USB port of the FUIM3 open will be ok because the FUIM has anti-static protection on the USB side and it is opto-isolated from the 3-wire i/f side.

So assuming we don't run into any problems in beta testing, it should be fine to leave the Y-cable connected to the PL and BUMP Controller and the open USB port accessible from top of deck. We will keep you posted on testing.

But are these firmware upgrades for the Bump Controller or will it push the CHARGER firmware upgrades from the Bump to the charger. Again what I was told at IRCHA is charger updates will still have to be done via FUIM

For now, PowerLab firmware updates will need to be done via FUIM, but in the future, we will also push those firmware upgrades via the BUMP Controller.

I fried a DPL8, twice, doing something quite similar. Fortunately, FMA repaired under warranty, but I was required to remove the feature.

My situation was a case with a PS and DPL8 mounted on top of the PS, with servo extensions mounted to each half of the DPL8 and a toggle switch to couple the signal leads to allow separate / synchronized operation; the servo leads were brought to the outside of the case. The FUIM3 could then be plugged into the externally mounted ports, or left unconnected.

Apparently, as it was explained to me, the signal leads are connected directly to the microprocessor that controls the charger operation. It is possible for static electricity to fry the processor board.

In my case, I did NOT also connect the FUIM3 adapters to the ports, along with the toggle switch; i.e., the ports were left open so that might have contributed to the problem.

To say that I am reluctant to have an unterminated connection brought out for convenience would be an understatement. I can see a slight electrical disturbance when the switch changes state.

If Revolectrix approves the switch and FUIM3 approach, then I would reconsider.

I agree that it would be a royal PITA to open the covers to get access to the port for USB updates...

As a point of interest, I am a retired Electrical Engineer, so not a neophyte when it comes to wiring, circuits, etc.; long conversations with Howard, and he was most helpful identifying the problem, collaborating with the designer, but strongly recommended no dangling connections.

Michael

I would never suggest leaving any electrical connections exposed or unprotected.

Another question, as an aside, with the DPL8, will two Bump controllers be needed (one connected to each side since 2 FUIMs are required) or will one controller be able to communicate with both sides?

If two are necessary, how far apart will they have to be spaced so that while "bumping" battery 1 for the left charger, it does not program the right side charger? E.g. I am parallel charging 4 x 4S packs on the left charger and 3X 6s packs on the right. If I swipe the 4S pack on the left side is there a possibility that the right side controller may pick it up?

The "bump range" is about 1" or less, so no potential for accidentally reading the BumpTag on the wrong BumpController even if they are side-by-side.

As was shown on earlier answer, the target charger is first selected, then the battery is bumped to begin setup on that charger. Of course if you only have 1 charger connected, then there is never any need to change the selected charger and the entire LCD display area is always dedicated to that single charger.

Note that the size of the BumpController case allows it to be mounted directly on top of any of the PowerLab chargers - it is the same width as the PL cases and the depth allows it to be mounted flush with the back of the PL and the PL display is still visible. So it's a good option if you don't use a charger case, or only have 1 charger, or just prefer to have a BumpController dedicated to each charger (for reasons outlined above). Same is true for the Dual PowerLab - you can mount a pair of BumpControllers directly to the top of the DPL.

Expansion Access / Configuration Via Bump?

Sounds quite promising. How about eliminating the toggle switch entirely (as it would be on the i/f side)? That would be possible if the need for the switch could be eliminated by the BUMP interface allowing expansion channel configuration; something to consider.

I rarely used the expansion channel configuration as the MPA boards handle the parallel charging quite nicely and all my larger "packs" (12S and 14S) are split. I use the DPL8 as I most likely am charging two different pack configurations (e.g., 6S and 4S) at the same time.

The BUMP controller appears to have the potential to simplify charger operation; not withstanding occasional USB connectivity needs. Leaving a pair of FUIM3 USB cables connected, via a "Y", would eliminate the need to open an enclosed configuration.

Thank you.

Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by RevoKelly

Agreed, leaving the 3-wire i/f dangling is not recommended, but leaving the USB port of the FUIM3 open will be ok because the FUIM has anti-static protection on the USB side and it is opto-isolated from the 3-wire i/f side.

So assuming we don't run into any problems in beta testing, it should be fine to leave the Y-cable connected to the PL and BUMP Controller and the open USB port accessible from top of deck. We will keep you posted on testing.